Time for softener/neutralizer system

Well, way past time actually.
Over the last decade, I have repaired numerous pinholes in copper pipe, replaced a new bock indirect heater (coiled corroded causing potable water to pressurize the boiler). Replaced that with a different indirect which has a replaceable coil. Well, that coil is stil perfect, but the tank itself is leaking somewhere, slowly.

I have decided to buy an electric water heater as I believe with the cost of oil, going to electric so I don't have to run the boiler all year probably makes sense.

Anyway, I did have a water test done a number of years ago. My water is hard and acidic, so I need a softener and neutralizer. I went by lowes and HD. neither had a neutralizer or anyone working there with a clue. yeah, big surprise there.

Went to sears. The guy there seemed to think that sears no longer sold a neutralizer. Their website says otherwise. he recommended I go ahead and install the softener, then check the water and go from there. Research I have done on the web, says this ain't such a good idea because the softener will not work well on acidic water and that I needed to have the neutralizer in place ahead of the softener.

I am handy and am a fan of buying stuff used for pennies on the dollar through CL.

Can I do this? Should I just bite the bullet and my checkbook and hire a pro?

Ideally, I wouldn't mind paying someone a consultation fee and do the work myself.

I don't know the sales practices of any online seller so I don't recommend any of them. They are very easy to find, cause type in the type of valve you want to use, Fleck, Clack, Autotrol, Canature etc are all good valves.

I'm reluctant to recommend any on-line seller because no matter who I recommend I'm sure to incur the wrath of one or more of the pro's here. That said, I've done business with cleanwaterstore and have been happy. I've also done business with a couple others and have not been happy; PM me if you'd like more detail. CWS offers PDFs on "How to Treat Acid Well Water" and "The Definitive Guide to Well Water Treatment" that seem pretty comprehensive, advice via live chat and telephone, free shipping on orders over $100 (you'll be well over $100 ) and of course they sell complete systems. Googling "acid neutralizer systems" results in over 600,000 hits, with these guys at the top of the list. (Of course, being at the top of the Google list says nothing about how good they are at what they do, just how good they are at getting to the top of the Google list.) Disclaimer: I am not a pro, not in the business at all, and not affiliated with any person or company in the business.

I'm not so sure about CL. I've had good and bad luck there. At least you get a chance to kick the tires, so to speak, if somebody is selling a complete system. There are obvious risks, and maybe some not-so-obvious risks. But if the guy is seling a system that's installed and working properly, not too old, with name-brand components, for pennies on the dollar, and you are in fact handy, go for it. The very worst that can happen is the tanks rupture and the valve/controllers need to be rebuilt, but that's not likely. In these troubled times, I've seen such systems being sold out of a home that's been foreclosed or otherwise sold under pressing circumstances, where the homeowner is trying to squeeze out a few extra bucks; often a good deal. But I've heard of such deals where the seller really didn't have the legal right to sell the stuff -- he was renting the home or buying the system on time, had closed on selling the home and was cheating the buyer out of the water system, whatever. You're on your own there. If he says he can deliver and shows up with all the parts and pieces in the back of a pickup truck, I'd be reeeaal careful.

Stay away from most big box stores equipment. I have worked with suppliers to several big box stores, their primary concern is the lowest bidder, usually regardless of quality. When price is your number 1 issue, a lot of quality has to go away to meet that objective. Just because someone stuck a name brand on it means nothing.

kind of what i thought. what do you think about buying older good quality stuff? there is a fleck system on CL that is about 8 years old. my guess is if I can get it cheap enough it might be worth giving it a shot.

The Fleck products are easily maintained, but... I am not much of a fan of buying the equipment used. If you do, be sure to carefully sanitize the equipment very well. Who knows if the equipment was installed without air-gap, or cross contamination protection from the sewage. Not really sure it is worth the potential of getting Hep-C to save $100.

100, no. 1000? yeah, maybe. I don't know much about H2O systems, but, I fix electromechanical stuff for a living and am comfortable working on plumbing and electromechanical gizmos.

From what I do know from reading the interwebs and talking to people, one of the problems with used stuff is that it might need new resin or pellets or whateverthehell it is that eventually wears out. And this stuff can be expensive.

It is 8 years old. The owner says it was working fine and that he had it served regularly. The part that bothers me is the reason for selling. he says he switched his house over to PEX as he was getting frequent pinhole leaks. It seems to me that if this system was working well, he shouldn't have been getting those leaks which are a sign of acid water. Also says that the water had a high salt content with the system in place and having high blood pressure, that was a concern.

I think you have answered your own question. If the system works, why was he getting pin holes? The media in a pH neutralizer has to be replenished over time. If this was not done, than the system was not working properly.

That's real hard to say. What parts have been changed so far? What's the water quality? When was the media changed last? With new, you should expect 5-7 years before needing to replace parts. Is the used ready for an overhaul? Who knows.